Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters

Chapter 893 893 545 Those Who Scold Me Are No Longer

?Chapter 893: Chapter 545 Those Who Scold Me Are No Longer My Brothers_2 Chapter 893: Chapter 545 Those Who Scold Me Are No Longer My Brothers_2 This isn’t urgent, but it’s important to be aware.

With Yu Fei proactively taking on the dirty work of the swing four position, it was beneficial for the team.

Since Yu Fei accepted it, no one else had any grounds for complaint.

Durant didn’t know Yu Fei’s intentions, he just felt the team’s plans were chaotic.

One moment it was this, the next it was that; who knew how long he would play at the small forward position?

But such arrangements indeed allowed him much more composure on the court.

A day later, the Supersonics faced the Trail Blazers again, and Durant went 13 for 21, scoring 31 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists.

On the court, Yu Fei matched up against Space Easy and showed no mercy, defending him into shooting 3 for 14, while scoring 35 points himself on 14 for 20 shooting, with 13 rebounds and 9 assists.

It was the first day Brandon Roy officially started with the new playing style.

Yu Fei frequently held the ball at the high post, then used himself as a screen to let Roy and others constantly cut through, making split-second decisions all the while.

Given Yu Fei’s strong on-ball threat, the Trail Blazers spared no expense to stop him from getting the ball, which drew more defensive attention while setting screens for Roy.

As a result, Roy got used to making complex and frequent plays with the big men.

Sometimes, Yu Fei acted as his screen, tasked with drawing the defense; at other times, he was a screen for Yu Fei, tasked only with moving around to stretch the defense.

Durant found freedom at the small forward position.

Isn’t this the ideal arrangement for him?

No matter how the coaching staff made this decision, Durant had to applaud whoever was responsible. The arrangement was excellent, and he liked such a change.

Thus, from early November to the end of the month, the Supersonics continued their winning streak.

On the eve of Thanksgiving, the Supersonics went up against the Bobcats.

The records of the two teams were an eyesore in comparison.

The Supersonics were at 13 wins and 1 loss, while the Bobcats were at 1 win and 13 losses.

Perhaps because the disparity between the two teams was too great, the grudge between Yu Fei and Jordan didn’t ignite as much external attention.

What caught the eye? Jordan’s former teammate, Scottie Pippen, who had just emerged from a financial crisis, suddenly declared on the TNT show, “I do think Frye has become the greatest player of all time. And it’s not just because he has more championships than Michael; it’s because Michael has two unavoidable failures in the basketball business.”

Pippen convincingly pointed out these two failures.

One was the pillar of shame Jordan still couldn’t shake off—trading Yu Fei to Milwaukee from Washington in 2002.

Over the years, Yu Fei made it clear through various channels that Jordan had traded him because he couldn’t compete with Yu Fei on the team, and this deepened the humiliation of the trade.

Then there was the fiasco as an owner.

This year marked Jordan’s second year as the majority shareholder of the Bobcats, but no team in the history of the League has ever looked so hopeless. A month into the season, the Bobcats had only one win. It seemed likely they would surpass the 1973 76ers (9 wins, 73 losses) to become the worst team in NBA history.

Their performance was historically bad, and it all happened under Jordan’s leadership.

This was Pippen’s argument, if Jordan is the GOAT, he shouldn’t have performed so poorly in any basketball-related matter. However, that’s exactly what happened; the Bobcats currently ranked last in offensive efficiency and second to last in defensive efficiency, which led ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy to proclaim that Charlotte’s coach, Paul Silas should be named Coach of the Year, miraculously winning a game in November.

“On the other hand, Frye…” Pippen said, his gaze sparkling, “has succeeded in every aspect of basketball. You seldom hear about his failures on the court, and no one questions his achievements, nor will it happen that he’s earning more than the entire team’s payroll combined and watches his greatest assistant getting paid a minimum salary. That wouldn’t happen to Frye.”

All of a sudden, the long-dormant reckoning about the former GOAT began anew.

This time, it was triggered by Pippen.

An hour before the start of the game between the Supersonics and the Bobcats, Charles Barkley, Jordan’s close friend, inevitably had to ride this wave of attention.

It was well known that Barkley was part of the Jordan Party; he still believed Jordan was the GOAT.

But when the TNT Crew talked about Jordan’s performance as an owner and his eye for talent, Barkley remained himself, not beating around the bush but candidly pointing out the issues.

After taking over the operations of the Bobcats in 2005, just like in D.C., Jordan hired his former Chicago Bulls teammate Rod Higgins as the general manager. Yet Higgins’s performance has proven his inadequacy.

Leading up to the 2006 draft, Jordan was inclined to select Adam Morrison, a forward from Gonzaga, with the third pick, a recommendation strongly pushed by Higgins. Jordan also wept over Morrison’s loss during March Madness. But at that time, he was also interested in Brandon Roy from the University of Washington.

Indecisive, Jordan asked for Barkley’s opinion. Not favoring Morrison, Barkley suggested Jordan pick Roy. The rest, as they say, became history.

Morrison has since faded from the League, while Roy helped Yu Fei take over Jordan’s GOAT position—isn’t that the greatest irony?

Barkley’s point was that the problem wasn’t whether Jordan made the right choices but how he made those decisions.

“I think the biggest problem is, I don’t know if he’s hired enough talent around him, if he really listened to their counsel,” Barkley said. “I know Michael, I know the people around him, if everyone is simply orbiting around you, afraid to disagree because they are getting paid from your pocket, flying on your private jet, then they dare not voice any dissent. That’s the problem. I don’t think there’s an opposing second voice around Michael.”